Gullit fired by Chechen leader after Terek lose

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Terek Grozny coach Ruud Gullit was fired on Tuesday after they lost a match that Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader billed as the Dutchman's last chance to prove he cared more for their poor league form than partying.

The former World Soccer Player of the Year, who took the job with the Chechen team at the start of this year, was told on the Russian Premier League club's website (www.fc-terek.ru) he would be sacked if they did not win at Amkar Perm.

After they lost through an own goal in the dying seconds, the leader of Russia's volatile Muslim Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is also the club president, said: "Gullit will no longer train Terek.

"He was unable to prove himself as a trainer. Under his command this season the team managed only poor results in every game," Kadyrov told the Interfax news agency. Terek are languishing in 14th place in the 16-team top flight.

"We hoped Gullit would look after the players, that he would bring an improvement. But our hopes were dashed and we are obliged to do without Gullit's services," Kadyrov said, adding the Dutchman refused to accept any blame for poor performances.

Instead of rolling up his sleeves and working to improve the team's league position, Gullit, 48, was "thinking about bars and discotheques," the club had said ahead of the match.

"Considering all this Ramzan Kadyrov is presenting Ruud Gullit with the task of bringing back three points from Perm.

"In the event of the opposite outcome Gullit will be dismissed from the position of head coach."

When the Dutchman signed an 18-month contract, Kadyrov said his task was to help the club qualify for European competition at the end of the 2011-12 season.
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